How to Care For Your Airbrush Compressor!

If you've just bought an airbrush along with an expensive compressor then you probably don't want to buy a replacement any time soon. In this video, I'm going to show you 3 tips to keep your compressor going for as long as possible.
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0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Don't overheat your Compressor
2:20 - Empty the moisture trap
3:15 - Open the compressor tank drain
4:26 - What happened to my nose?
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[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

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[@DS-oopa]

Helpful and pretty straightforward. Thanks.

[@Kathie1410]

very helpful, thanks ♥

[@hewlett-packardlovecraft2297]

Got the same basic airbrush set-up as you, just without the tank. Was so happy with the price I didn't even think about anything else. Here lately I've been checking out YT videos on how to add a tank, and it looks like it's just time to get a new one WITH a tank, and have this one as a back-up. Moral of the story- do a little research before you buy things. Oh well. Have a great week.

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Thanks for watching mate. I think a compressor without a tank would be fine, it will probably just run hotter than one with a tank. But yeah going straight to a compressor with a tank will work as well :)

[@hewlett-packardlovecraft2297]

@@DavesMiniMenagerie Yeah, I'll be fine for now- not using the airbrush for much more than priming and base coats, anyway. Did a little digging around, and the most info on the duty cycles of these same type compressors (they ALL seem to come out of the same chinese factories- just different "names" from different sellers) is 5/10 min. per hour- and even I think that's pretty low. Not a lot of info out there on them, to be frank. Oh well. Thanks for the reply, and have a good one.

[@joelalbertosandovalsanchez5458]

I also have one without a tank. I've seen videos where you can add one and it doesn't look difficult.

[@Faust8423]

This Vid answered my concerns regarding maintenance and do's and don'ts, specially in regards to the moister trap, thanks bruv.

[@pointandshootvideo]

Using a fan to cool the motor is a great tip. Thanks!

[@rainerfantasie9573]

Thanks, Dave.

[@forgeofpainting175]

Damn, I didnt know that I need video like this. Good Work 👌

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Glad you found it useful, thanks for watching

[@jamesedwards8175]

I have a tankless compressor (Iwata Ninja), but this was a useful video for me anyway. I'm glad I'm not paranoid for turning my compressor off whenever I'm not using it!

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Yeah heat is the big bad when it comes to motors and pumps, so anything to keep it cool would be good. Glad you found it useful

[@amaurythewarrior]

thanks for the video, i got a new FD186 to replace an old second hand AS186 (that's leaking everywhere, cracked fittings trying to fix issues, nothing that's unfixable but didn't want to wait) and I was confused about not being able to open the drain valve. turns out indeed only needed something tighter than my fingers. however, i don't think it's necessary to wait for the pressure to drop to drain the tank: if you start turning, it will open progressively, so you can really control how much pressure there is, and i think that helps get rid of most of the water (that was the issue on my old one, left it a few weeks without draining the tank, started it with orange water in my water trap, the water trap valve was also stuck... rust in the fittings as well)...

[@tomassoejakto]

Hello. Thank you for the care tips. May I ask, what does the valve with the red cap do? Thank you.

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Hey mate, the valve on the side of the tank? That is the pressure switch so when the pressure in the tank is high enough the compressor turns off and when the pressure drops an little it turns back on

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Does anyone know the duty cycle of these fengda airbrush compressors? Anything else I've missed to keep compressors living a long life?

[@AllinWhenPlaying]

Hi mate, it was great to find your video, very useful. I have the same compressor - after an hour of moderate use mine gets so hot that that start/stop function stops working (it stops topping up after pressure drop) until it cools down. Is this something you've experienced or should I contact the manufacturer? Compressor itself has plenty of clearance and no vents blocked or restricted. I was base coating quite a few minis with an airbrush but it wasn't running all the time.

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Hey mate, I have never had it actually overheat on me but I know mine gets quite hot to the touch. I tend to not do massive airbrushing sessions continuously since I get so many clogs I gotta clear out. I would contact the manufacturer since this compressor design seems very common and I haven't heard of them overheating before

[@AllinWhenPlaying]

@@DavesMiniMenagerie Thanks a lot for the reply! That's what I thought, it didn't seem normal. I was lucky to get my airbrush game up quite quick due to a friend helping me out so I don't suffer clogs almost at all - (no bragging) and this resulted in a more intensive compressor use for sure. Manufacturer of mine is Fengda so the known one not a bush one (and yeah they are all the same, some just pay a bit more for QC than others). I've contacted them and they've sent me instructions what work to perform on it. I was a bit surprised as this is after all a potentially dangerous device but I know my way around engines and such so I was ok with it. As I was doing the work it turned out it was pre-used for sure. Piston shaft had a lot of residue and visible wear, air tank was already rusting a bit - something that would not happen in a week of use. Their solution was to hammer in the main engine axle rod as they've said that there might be some play causing torque and thus heating up. It seems it runs better now (but a bit louder) but I doubt it was the hammering that helped and not my full maintenance of the unit. So, thanks for helping me out with the decision to contact them as otherwise would be thinking "it is what it is" most likely and now I know I got a raw deal with a refurbished unit sold as brand new on Amazon.

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

@@AllinWhenPlaying oh wow that is kinda wild that you've got a refurbished unit instead of new. I opened up mine and it seemed all pretty clean, and I only had a little bit of rust in the tank after a few months. I'm slowly learning more about airbrushing and getting less clogs as I go

[@AllinWhenPlaying]

@@DavesMiniMenagerie Hehe, yeah - not only getting a refurbished one (which I admit might just happen in a business), but being asked to fix it myself with using a video link instruction they gave me. AS far s customer service goes, that one is a bit an outlier :D And initially they've obviously told me it's fine. Guy even said that after an hour of continuous work it can reach 75-80 degrees but what didn't click for him is that this actually invalidates their claim that it is fine, as when using an airbrush you will never get an hour without any idling that would allow it to cool down, meaning that no, it shouldn't cut off :D Shame that theree are no real decent alternatives as the "next level" is quite expensive and/or big like a horse...

[@TK-oo9gq]

You are meant to open the moisture screw with pressure in the tank. This helps the air to push out all the moisture in the tank. I used to do it at the end of every day.

[@garfieldsmith332]

I have the same type AS-186 compressor. After I have undone the drain valve drained the compressor I will put my finger over the opening and turn the compressor on or 2 seconds or so. Turn it off then remove my finger. The air blows out and removes more moisture. Juggle the tank around a do it a couple of times to again blow out any moisture. I then leave the tank drain open all night.

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

That's a good idea with getting more moisture blown out, I leave the valve out when I'm not using my compressor

[@garfieldsmith332]

@@DavesMiniMenagerie That is another good idea. I just release all the air in the tank after I use it. Run the air thru the airbrush until the pressure reaches zero then push up on the moisture trap valve. I do the complete blow out every couple of weeks.

[@topouzidd]

Instead of opening the valve on the bottom, would it be safe to hold the compressor upside down so the tank’s normal output is on the bottom, just for a little bit and get the accumulated water through the main airflow? If that’s safe, I’d prefer to do it that way instead of unscrewing the bottom valve regularly.

[@blueskyexit]

What do you do if the air pressure adjustment is stuck and wont turn?

[@topouzidd]

Should we drain the air tank through the bottom valve regularly? Also, should we release all pressure when we’re finished working for the day?

[@Lodorn]

I've found other videos that say to drain it every other day or so. Depending on how much you use it. Definitely before longer breaks like days or weeks. I release all the airy after every session through the moisture trap, if I'm not draining the tank as well. If I also drain the tank, I release some air from the trap, then some from the line through the airbrush and the rest directly from the tank valve. Then I leave it open until I use it the next time.

[@dudanator501]

I found your advice on the Fengda aairbrush set and bought my own 2 weeks ago. Question for you on heat with it, after about an hour it becomes untouchable. I assume thats not just mine?

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Yeah it gets pretty damn hot, I've noticed that with mine as well. I try not to waste air if possible so it doesn't have to pump as much. I don't have a temp gun so I don't know exactly how hot it gets, but usually with electronics they can run at like 40, 50, 60 degrees Celsius fairly ok, and that feels very hot to the touch

[@dudanator501]

@@DavesMiniMenagerie I read the reviews and people mentioned it not getting too hot so I thought I'd verify! Thanks for the tips and the video!

[@omeltoyman7566]

My compressor has weak pressure.almost no pressure.what is the problem?

[@pixelion8]

Hi guys, have anybody tried to ad a fan on it ? After seen inside, the electric part is really basic. 3 cables and a ground. Like 3d print a case that goes between the black swich part at the back and the metal part in order to put like noctua fan.

[@lallsta_paints]

I dont own an airbrush and compressor yet, hoping to pick one up next month so I'm trying to clue up on how to keep everything in working order from the get go. You mention in the video to drain the compressor tank using the valve at the bottom when the tank is unpressurized. Might sound like a daft question but how do you get the tank to an unpressurized state without the pump kicking in to re-pressurize it? Great video by the way, very informative!

[@jantimmer5558]

I drained mine this morning and quite a bit of rust water came out. Should i be worried?

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

I don't think you should be too worried. At the worst if the tank rusts all the way through then it will start to leak through mini holes in the tank (the tank will probably outlast the compressor if you keep draining it though). I did find replacement tanks with a Google search if that happened. There is also a chance that the rust might break off the tank and get clogged somewhere in your airbrush, but I'm not sure how likely that is.

[@BigAndTall666]

Yes! DRAIN AFTER EACH USE and leave the drain plug open between uses!!!

[@daveslife7609]

What about that red plug ? On the tank ?

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

Yes the red plug, I believe that is the pressure switch which tells the pump when to turn on and off. I have never fiddled around with it though

[@daveslife7609]

@@DavesMiniMenagerie okay just wondering I seen another video where someone mentioned that’s where you release pressure after done painting? Seems a bit intimidating

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

@@daveslife7609 oh yeah the valve on the bottom, so once I turn the compressor off after using it I'll empty the air and then undo the drain valve underneath the tank to let the condensation out

[@garfieldsmith332]

Most of them are emergency release valves that will open to relieve the pressure if it gets too high. They are also used to release any pressure left in the tank. After I using the moisture trap release you can pull or twist this value to empty the tank before you undo the drain valve.

[@daveslife7609]

@@garfieldsmith332 thank you 🙏

[@grafikbude8352]

Dave look a little bit cute ^^

[@5Komma5]

You ground wire is not connected! 0:24 Looks like it is a fault with every one of the compressors that look like this. If something goes wrong the case is at mains voltage.

[@DaveFallows]

Stop blaming your drunken Aussie anti-social antics on the dog!

[@DavesMiniMenagerie]

It was totally his fault. I had the perfect video made but then, he ate it! What a little bugger haha, na he is a total smoocher he just gets too excited playing

[@bernardopatino6263]

Please: Why a compressor: like that it heats up. What can be done to eliminate overheating. Tnx.